FBI says arrest in Minn. disrupted 'terror attack'

May 6, 2013
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by Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY

by Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY

The FBI said Monday that a "terror attack was disrupted" by the arrest of a man whose mobile home in western Minnesota was allegedly stocked with firearms, suspected pipe bombs and gasoline bombs.

Buford Rogers, 24, was arrested Friday and charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He remains in federal custody; it was not immediately clear if he has an attorney.

The FBI says a alleged attack was in its "planning stages" and the target was believed to be in the state of Minnesota. The agency said in a statement that it believes their operation potentially saved the lives of several local residents.

FBI spokesman Kyle Loven wouldn't elaborate Monday on the nature or target of the alleged plot, but says authorities believe there "would have been a localized terror attack, and that's why law enforcement moved quickly."

According to a federal affidavit obtained by the Associated Press, FBI agents from the domestic terrorism squad searched the property at the mobile home park in Montevideo and discovered the gasoline bombs, suspected pipe bombs and firearms.

The affidavit said Rogers was there at the time of the search, and one firearm recovered from his residence was a Romanian AKM assault rifle.

In an interview with authorities, Rogers admitted firing the weapon on two separate occasions at a gun range in Granite Falls, Minn., the affidavit said. Rogers has a past conviction for felony burglary and is not allowed to have a firearm.

Rogers' 2011 felony burglary conviction stems from an incident in Lac qui Parle County. He also has a 2009 misdemeanor conviction for dangerous handling of a weapon in Hennepin County, as well as other criminal violations, according to online court records.